The first, as it has been since he decided to skip the 2011 draft, is former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Luck and Griffin both declined to throw at the combine, despite some begging from Mike Mayock. Much has been made of this, so before I get into this, let me say that while I would have loved to see RG3 and Luck throw the ball, there was no reason for them to do so. If Luck had thrown, maybe Griffin would have. Really, though, neither one had anywhere to go but down. Everybody has seen the game tape, they know what these guys can do. They've very little to prove.

So don't expect any repercussions for Luck not throwing (on the other hand, Arizona State's Brock Osweiler not throwing was a poor decision, depending on how hurt he really was). Especially since Luck left us with a ton to talk about, anyway. In fact, many walked away from his combine performance feeling he managed to raise his stock even more.

Really, though, how did he do? Sure, he looked great this weekend, but he's supposedly one of the best pro prospects at his position since anyone strapped on a leather helmet, but this isn't the greatest quarterback group.

This weekend he looked fantastic, but how about some of the guys who have come before him?

One of the things that people don't talk much about—or, rather, didn't before this weekend—is how athletic Andrew Luck is. The offense he was in at Stanford wasn't one that required him to show it, which is why people didn't notice it.

Luck's numbers wowed scouts and analysts alike and brought to mind another quarterback—the first overall pick of the 2011 NFL draft. Cam Newton knows what it's like to have aspects of your game overlooked, and his success with the Panthers remind us not to come into analysis with preconceived notions.

While Luck's "official" 40 time was 4.67, his "unofficial" time was exactly what Newton did last year—4.59. Mind you, that means he had a much slower run on one of the attempts, while Newton did not (his final combined total was 4.56).

Luck also compared pretty favorably to Newton in several other drills.

His three-cone was 6.80 to Newton's 6.92, while Newton's shuttle was quicker by a .10 of a second (4.18 to 4.28). Luck outjumped Newton in the vertical (36 inches to 35), while Newton had two inches on Luck in the broad jump (10'4" to 10'6").

All this points out is how despite all the hand-wringing to the contrary, the combine continues to serve a real purpose for scouts and players. Andrew Luck is more athletic than anything we've seen on film, just as Robert Griffin III is impressing scouts far more in the interview rooms than people gave him credit for.

Luck matches up pretty well with a few of the other big-name quarterbacks from the past few years as well.

As you can see, Luck (and also Griffin) compare favorably to the current quarterback studs across the board.

There are several omissions you will notice on that list. Philip Rivers, Eli Manning and Michael Vick opted out of the drills at their combine. The man Luck is "destined" to replace, Peyton Manning, also skipped the drills, though in his case it was due to a knee issue.

A bunch of the top players also opted out of throwing, so again, Luck is not alone there.

What does this all mean?

Not much in the realm of things. Luck appears to be a can't-miss prospect, but until he takes a snap we just don't know. Just because someone blows up the combine is not an indication they are a pro ball player (Vernon Gholston, paging Mr. Vernon Gholston).

In Luck's case, though, it reminds scouts (and analysts) that there is more to the former Stanford quarterback's game than meets the eye.

We may not know what he is truly capable of until he steps onto the field for his first game—but so far, he measures up favorably to the best that have come before him.